We’ve all seen political strongmen who speak and act with unchecked arrogance, claiming to be the key to national stability and progress. They boast of their achievements and begin to believe they are untouchable. But history and Scripture remind us of a sobering truth: pride comes before a fall.

The prophet Obadiah delivers God’s judgment against Edom, Israel’s south-eastern neighbour. Edom was descended from Esau, the brother of Jacob (Genesis 25:30; 36:1, 9), making them family. Despite this kinship, Edom stood by while Israel was attacked and destroyed (Obadiah 10–11).

Obadiah specifically calls out Edom’s pride. As the “Sovereign Lord”, God has both the right to punish all nations for their wrongdoing and the authority to summon them to rise against Edom (v. 1). Inflated by pride, Edom would be brought low—made small among the nations and utterly despised (v. 2). This echoes the warning of Proverbs 16:18: “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall”.

Esau was deceived out of his birthright by Jacob (Genesis 25:27–34), but now Edom is deceived by its own pride—rooted in its perceived geographical advantage (Obadiah 3). Situated east of the Jordan River, in a region of towering rocky crags overlooking the Dead Sea, Edom believed itself invulnerable. The Hebrew word for “rocks” in verse 3 is a wordplay on the name Sela, one of Edom’s key cities. Even today, if we visit Petra—the ancient rock city in modern-day Jordan—we can see why they had felt so secure. They even believed their safety to be as unreachable as soaring eagles and distant stars (v. 4).

But of course, this is their pride speaking—the same pride that blinds them to the reality of God’s sovereignty. Even if they were to build their nest among the stars, He would bring them down (v. 4). No human fortress, however imposing, can stand against divine judgment (see also Isaiah 2:12; Jeremiah 49:16).

Where does true security come from? We can build strong defences and tell ourselves we’ve got all things under control. Sovereignty, however, belongs to the Lord. Genuine strength is found in humbly acknowledging His power and authority over our lives.